Fevers and first kisses
by song-left-unheard
Summary: Lizzie has a fever and William feels the need to go down and take care of her. Mrs. Bennet uses the opportunity to show William some childhood video tapes. Mindless Dizzie fluff, because I really miss them :)


"Hi, I miss you," William Darcy says as soon as the person on the other end picks up the phone.

"Thanks Darcenator, but I don't think that message was meant for me," Lydia laughs.

William turns a dark red at the young girl's teasing, and is grateful she can't seem him, as he's sure his coloring would make her tease him more.

"Um, not really," he admits. "Where's Lizzie?"

William _is _pretty sure that he called his girlfriend's cellphone, _not_ her sister's.

"She's asleep," Lydia replies.

"It's the middle of the day…" William says confused, as he glances at his pocket watch.

"Yeah, she came down with a fever last night and was throwing up and all. It was totally gross," Lydia explains.

"But she was supposed to drive up tomorrow…" William frowns.

It's selfish, he knows, but he'd been so looking forward to Lizzie's visit. They'd been planning her week-long trip to San Francisco for a while. He was even going to take some much needed time off work, so all his focus could be for her.

"Don't plan on it, Darce," Lydia says. "There's no way she's driving to San Fran, not for probably a week, at least."

William frown deepens, but already a plan is formulating in his mind.

"Well, I'm coming down then," he declares.

"What?" Lydia exclaims. "Darcy, she'll be fine! You so _do_ _not_ have to come down!"

"But I want to. I already took a week off work and I want to spend it with her, even if she spends it throwing up all over me."

"Wow, you guys are so disgustingly adorable," Lydia laughs. "If you feel so strongly, I guess I'll tell her you're coming…and uh, warn Mom…or maybe I should warn you about Mom," Lydia laughs one last time, and then the line goes dead.

* * *

"Why, William! It is so good to see you again!" Mrs. Bennet exclaims upon opening her front door to find William standing there. "Lydia told me you were coming to see my dear Lizzie!"

William just nods, as he can't seem to get a word in edgewise.

"Although I'm not sure it's such a good idea to see her in this state," Mrs. Bennet continues, as William steps into the house and she closes the door behind him. "She's just so irritable when she feels the least bit ill. Gets it from her father of course."

"Mom…" Lizzie whines, before coughing loudly.

William turns around and looks at her. She's in plaid pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt, which he proudly recognizes as his own. She's wrapped in a heavy blanket and still looks as though she's shivering. He takes a step towards her and wraps his arms around her. She leans her head against his chest.

"Elizabeth Bennet!" cries out. "What are you doing out of bed? You're supposed to be resting and drinking your tea!"

Lizzie pulls a face. "I miss Jane's tea," she whispers, just loud enough for William to hear, but not loud enough to be heard by her mother, who is still prattling on.

"I'm going to make you another cup, and you get right back into bed!" Mrs. Bennet bustles out of the room in the direction of the kitchen.

William kisses Lizzie on the cheek and pulls her closer.

"You're burning up," he says. "Do you know what you have?"

"Just some bug, I guess," she replies. "We better go upstairs before my Mom flips."

He kisses her on the cheek again and then lifts her into his arms. She gives a small yelp of surprise and then snuggles into his arms as he carries her up the stairs.

"Aren't you worried you'll get sick?" Lizzie asks, as he lays her in her bed and tucks the covers around her chin.

"Moms and boyfriends, we're immune to this stuff," William says with a half-smile. He pulls out a bottle of hand sanitizer. "And I came prepared; I bought like ten bottles of this stuff."

Lizzie gives a sharp laugh, which turns into a rasping cough. After she recovers, she reaches for his hand.

"Well, if you came so prepared, then I don't feel as bad about this."

She half-heartedly pulls him towards her small childhood bed. She doesn't have much strength so he follows her movements. He slips off his shoes and lies down next to her, and she curls up against him. She reaches up a hand and pulls his face down to her. He lightly presses his lips to hers. They lie like that for a little while, kissing on and off, until Lydia comes in.

"Ew," Lydia says, taking in their position. "You guys are worse than Jane and Bing. At least they refrain from making out when one of them is throwing up."

Darcy pulls back and brushes some hair off of Lizzie's face. Lizzie rolls over to face her sister, who deposits a cup of tea on her sister's night table.

"Well, I guess I'll just be going now," Lydia says, backing out of the room. "I put your stuff in the guest room, by the way Darce."

"Oh," William says, propping himself up on one arm." I can stay at Netherfield, I don't want to impose."

Lydia just laughs. "Mom insists," Lydia slips into her mother's southern drawl. "Family stays at the house, of course! Just don't let her catch you like this, or next thing you know, she'll be insisting you stay in Lizzie's room."

Lizzie falls asleep not shortly after, arms wrapped around her boyfriend, and ankles lightly entangled with his.

After about a half an hour in this uncomfortable position, William disentangles himself and goes on a search for the guest bedroom. It isn't a very long search, as he runs into Lydia right outside the door.

"Go offer to help Mom with dinner," she says immediately, leaning in towards him conspiringly. "She'll refuse, but love you forever. Though you will be forced to converse with her for at least an hour."

Darcy gives a confused half-nod, and Lydia runs back into her room.

With no idea of what else he should do, he heads down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"Would you like any help Mrs. Bennet?" he asks, as he enters the room.

"Of course not honey! I've got it all under control!" she replies immediately. "But why don't you sit right on down and talk with me for a little while!"

Darcy pulls up a chair from the table and sits. It's quiet for a little while as he ponders how best to start a conversation.

"Thank you very much for letting me stay here," he starts.

"Oh it's no problem at all, William!"

She opens the oven and puts the chicken in and then joins him at the table.

"Now that that's in the oven I have some time to pass," she smiles at him, and he's not sure whether now is too late to make a run for it. "I found some very sweet videos of Lizzie as a baby. Why don't we watch them? I'm sure she's never showed you any photos, silly girl, she was a very adorable baby!"

Mrs. Bennet keeps talking, but William could laugh with delight. Videos of baby Lizzie! That's no torture! No, he could definitely enjoy this… So he lets Mrs. Bennet lead him to the den, the very same den where he kissed her daughter for the first time. She pushes in a tape, as he settles on the coach.

Mrs. Bennet talks throughout the whole first video, but William doesn't hear a word she says, his eyes are glued to the beautiful little girl on the screen. She's exactly like Lizzie, in looks and personality, and as he watches her grow up, he feels himself falling in love all over again.

First there's footage of Jane holding her for the first time. A little red-headed toddler of about three or four, holding a tiny red-headed baby, as though she might break. The baby has the brightest blue eyes and the toddler stares into them as she sings a few nursery rhymes, in a high clear voice.

The video skips to a first birthday party where two babies sit in high chairs together. Lizzie is laughing as she bounces up and down, a chocolate cupcake grasped firmly in her right hand. Charlotte Lu sits much quieter, using both hands to smear the cupcake across her entire face.

Next there is another Bennet baby. Lydia has brighter red hair and is ten times louder. She screams the entire time that Lizzie holds her.

Following that is footage of Lizzie and Charlotte's first day of kindergarten. The two girls stand holding hands, both wearing matching blue dresses and holding Disney princess lunchboxes.

"_You ready for your first day girls?" _

Mr. Bennet's voice asks from behind the camera. The two girls cheer and jump up and down, before a ten year old Jane comes and sweetly takes their hands, leading them down the sidewalk towards a yellow school bus.

The first video tape ends, but Mrs. Bennet gets up, putting in another one, still chattering on affectionately about what a strange little girl her middle daughter was.

On this one, William watches Lizzie learn how to read. He watches the infamous 6th birthday party, where Lizzie cried until Charlotte handed her a present to open. He laughs, though Mrs. Bennet stares in shocked horror. He watches Lizzie getting dressed up for Halloween (she was definitely a witch).

Around the first backyard play, the oven beeps and Mrs. Bennet excuses herself. William watches, completely enthralled, as Lizzie, Jane, Lydia, and Charlotte act out the entirety of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

"What are you watching?"

He glances up to see Lizzie, standing in the doorway. She's still wrapped in a blanket, but seems to be shivering a little less. He pats the couch next to him and she curls up against him, before directing her eyes to the screen.

"She didn't!" Lizzie shrieks. "Oh god…how much have you watched?"

William laughs. "About one and a half tapes. You were very cute," he replies with a smile.

Lizzie shakes her head exasperatedly, but snuggles close to watch the end of the play, which quickly turns into another one (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).

"Mom says dinner will be ready in a half hour," Lydia says, stepping in the room. "Oh, you're watching the videos," she smiles. "Have you seen the one with all the stuff Charlotte shot with your first camera?"

"Really?" Lizzie asks. "Where's that one?"

Lydia rummages through a pile and passes a tape labeled _**Charlotte**_ to her sister.

"Has Charlotte been videotaping you your whole life?" William teases, as he lazily rubs circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Pretty much," Lizzie says with a laugh, as she passes Lydia the tape to put in.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this one has your first kiss on it," Lydia giggles, as she shoves it into the video player.

"Wait what?!" Lizzie yells. "Take it out! We're not watching that!"

She struggles to her feet, but William quickly pulls her back to the couch.

"Oh yes we are!" he says, holding her down, as Lydia laughs, fast-forwarding through more backyard plays.

Lizzie struggles against him, eventually pulling him on top of her. She kisses him deeply. He's momentarily dazed, and she manages to wriggle out from under him and grab the remote from Lydia.

"Foul play, Bennet!" he yells at her, before grabbing her around the waist and kissing her behind the ear where she's especially ticklish.

She laughs and turns in his arms, pulling his head down for another kiss. He's unbalanced and ends up falling to the ground, pulling her down on top of him.

"Feeling a little better, Ms. Bennet," he says with a laugh, as he pushes her hair out of her eyes.

"A little," she says, smiling down at him.

"Get a room," Lydia sighs. "Just don't be late for dinner."

She smiles and exits the room.

"I think we just got a room," William says, and pulls Lizzie down for a deep kiss.

A much younger Lizzie is also being kissed on the screen, but neither of them takes any notice of it.


End file.
